BB: SLIAC: St Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[theoneandonly]

so SLIAC Observer. Enlighten us as to why Atkins Transfered out of Greenville to Webster and then back to Greenville? Abandoning a team because you think there is a lack of talent is a real low thing to do, and im not saying that is what he did, but it sure seems like it, then he couldnt cut it at Webster so he transferred backto where he came from. Im suprised they wanted him back after he showed his lack of loyalty.

[SLIAC Observer]

Wow.  Obnoxious and judgmental.  Nice combination.

I'm not going to be drawn into a debate with you.

College is about more than baseball.  Personal reasons often dictate moves that have nothing to do with sports.

'Nuff said.

[theoneandonly]

mhmm, im sure that was it. on to better things than greenville baseball and those who once were part and are again, has anyone seen the Eureka Roster yet?

[theoneandonly]

I'm not going to be drawn into a debate with you.

This whole forum/Board is about debating. just thought i might throw that out there. it wasnt made for you to get on and say how great your friend is at baseball.

[BigToughGuy]

HAHA.......SLIAC Observer changed his e-mail address.  I knew he was family because earlier today his e-mail was MAtkins with some numbers thrown in behind it.  Now is says Saluki with some numbers behind it.  This guy is obviously related to Zac Atkins or better yet, maybe it is Zac himself.  Again, there's no problem with defending your boy, but why do it if you're so ashamed of him that you're trying to hide the fact that you're related.

[SLIAC Observer]

Gee ........ I thought this was a forum for discussion of D-III baseball, and I was particularly interested in the SLIAC conference.  I didn't realize this was a personal attack forum.

No.  I'm not Zac.  Yes.  I am related.  So what?

I just ran across his name while lurking in the board and thought I would provide some info that might be of interest.

Any other comments?

[theoneandonly]

yes, we would like to know why he decided to transfer back and forth all over the sliac. If it were really a personal problem he wouldnt have transferred out then back in. Unless maybe he was being bullied by some guys on the team and they graduated. ha.

[VideoDawg]

Hey all these are my pitcher picks to look for Blackburn to MacMurray. The second half, alphabetically should be up in a day or two. Again this is just my opinion disagree if you want.    

Blackburn – Scott Ward - certified "Player to Watch", has a bloated era due to poor defense last year. His opposition batting average helps in the evaluation with a .264 and fourth in the league last year. Keep in mind Ward is a sinker, ground ball pitcher and no viable shortstop last year killed him. Lastly he has such good movement that he needs a top-flight catcher. Last year he lead the league in wild pitches (9) more than half probably should have been pass balls. The catcher. who ever it ends up being needs to step up.  90 – 92 mph fastball when he needs it.

Blackburn – Ben Eilerman – As a Sophomore at Illinois College he only pitched 40 innings last year and ended up with a 6.75 era. He is more of a classic power pitcher that still needs more velocity. Accuracy is a bit of a concern with 40 strikeouts to 28 Walks. His 6'6" frame has possibilities but he has yet to show the promise expected.  As a senior in High School he went 9-0 and was very impressive but with few innings his freshman year in college and only 40 last year, he probably will have to work out some bugs.

Blackburn Dark Horses – Matt Ozee – the number two pitcher from last year. Sneaky fast with an excellent strikeout to walk ratio 27 – 9. Needs to add strength or will be around his last year's era of 4.96.

Jacob Hainsfurther – As a freshman at Lewis & Clark he went 4-1,  pitched 28.2 innings with a 3.13 era.  Apparently has the stuff to compete, is a hometown Carlinville boy, but took college baseball off last year. Has had medical issues in the past.

Eureka – I am not sure on this school as they still don't have a roster posted. First of all the NCAA has 2008 listed as Benji Cashdollar's senior year. They do not list year of eligibility. In any case if Cashdollar is back he is their best pitcher. He was 7th in the sliac with a 4.12 era but with an opposing batting average of nearly .300 he was always pitching in and then out of trouble. Much of his trouble was a team total 42 errors in 23 games but when he pitches to ground balls that come back to him, he in perfect in opportunities. His eligibility is hard to figure he did start pitching in 2005 and 2006 at Illinois Central. There is no record of 2007, however he did pitch last year.    

Eureka Dark Horse - Clay McConkey- Possible junior Has really good stuff and durability. Pitched 68.7 innings last year with 68 strikeouts (lead the sliac) 20 looking (lead the sliac). Downside is 53 base on balls, 77 base hits and 66 runs. He must show control or he will be a bust. If he can get people out in the strike zone and avoid walks he could be a fantastic pitcher. Upper 80's velocity and a great change when working.          


Fontbonne – Wiley or Willey – Of last year's roster these two as freshmen showed some promise. Willey went 5-0 but had a huge 6.35 era, Wiley went 2-1 with a more reasonable 5.25. Both are similar in style with both in the lower 80's velocity wise with decent movement. Willey struggles a lot with control. Last year he actually walked more than he struckout. He must have something because he only pitched 34 innings and still managed 5 wins and based alone on the walk to strikeout ratio he knows how to pitch out of trouble. If he works at increasing his velocity and can stay away from so many walks he could be a great pitcher in the league. Dito for Wiley.

These guys are why the league is so fun to watch, either of these guys could be the next top flight pitcher. As they are just sophomores on the other hand if chasing girls and goofing off is more important than the weight room and spread drills then they will end up with a long season.

As for Shockley and Antone – I have never seen Shockley pitch and cannot find any solid stats on him. I really cannot comment on him.

Antone pitched last year as a junior and had an 11.70 era in just 13.3 innings pitched. I have not seen him pitch but those numbers don't jump out at me like he will be anything special ...other than to his mom.

Greenville – Matt Leefers, Andy Rincker and Daniel Covert are virtually identical in the stats. Leefers  - 45.7 Innings Pitched 8.86 era,  Rincker 42.3 innings pitched 8.09 era and Covert 32.3 innings pitched 7.52 era. This explains their team era of 7.77, 7th in the conference.

If I were that consistent in my golf I would have turned pro years ago. Unfortunately it means that there is no standout on this team in the pitching category. Could one of these guys break out? Yes.  Who? Impossible to guess.  I have seen all three pitch and each has been impressive at times and at other times erratic. Rincker has more control but less velocity, Leefers is in the zone way too much and needs more sinking action if he is going to turn all of the singles hit against him into ground balls. Covert is all over the place and tries to muscle the ball too much. He is like an infielder trying to prove he can pitch when he is on the mound. He needs to relax and throw.

MacMurray – Aaron Forthenberry is the single standout for MacMurray. Last year he had a great year for freshmen. In 11 appearances, with 55.7 innings pitched he had a 5.17 era. I honestly don't know how he managed it as MacMurray had the worst fielding team in the conference. That would explain his 3-6 record.  They also had the highest team era and they should repeat in that category again. I see no reason to think that this season will better than the last.  

If Forthenberry gets stronger and has been in the gym and is working on form then he could climb in every pitching category despite the team around him.

Well I hope you like it so far I will post the others soon or at least before Eureka posts their roster.    

[theoneandonly]

Hey all these are my pitcher picks to look for Blackburn to MacMurray. The second half, alphabetically should be up in a day or two. Again this is just my opinion disagree if you want.    

Blackburn – Scott Ward - certified “Player to Watch”, has a bloated era due to poor defense last year. His opposition batting average helps in the evaluation with a .264 and fourth in the league last year. Keep in mind Ward is a sinker, ground ball pitcher and no viable shortstop last year killed him. Lastly he has such good movement that he needs a top-flight catcher. Last year he lead the league in wild pitches (9) more than half probably should have been pass balls. The catcher. who ever it ends up being needs to step up.  90 – 92 mph fastball when he needs it.

Although i agree with this selection, the reference to the catchers is wrong. Ward had an all conference catcher two years ago and two capeable catchers last year. a senior and a freshmen. Just for some more info to back that up. Ward is a very wild pitcher.. About the wild pitches.. they were most definatly wild pitches in probably 8 of 9 instances, he also led the league in hit batters, thats why i believe that the wild pitches were probably wild pitches.. Last Years freshmen catcher, Wilhelm, WILL be returning this season and they will be able to work very well together since the coach integrated him very nicely.

[VideoDawg]

Good to hear I hope they have a great season.

[thenatural13]

I agree i hope they have a great season too. I think ward WILL stand out and does have much better defense behind him this year.. hopefully the shortstop dilemma is solved at the burn. Cant wait for some good ol' SLIAC baseball.

[theoneandonly]

I agree i hope they have a great season too. I think ward WILL stand out and does have much better defense behind him this year.. hopefully the shortstop dilemma is solved at the burn. Cant wait for some good ol' SLIAC baseball.

I agree that Ward is a solid pitcher. However he needs to find his control. In his senior season you would think that problem would be solved by now, but I guess he can use that to his advantage too because the batters don't know if they are going to get a 80 mph slider or a 92 mph fastball in the spine.

[BigToughGuy]

2009 Pre-Season SLIAC Poll is released..............

2009 SLIAC Baseball
Pre-Season Coaches' Poll

Rank Team (First Place Votes)
1 Webster (7)
2 Maryville (1)
3 Westminster (1)
4 Eureka
5 Fontbonne
6 Greenville
7 Blackburn
8 Principia
9 MacMurray


February 17, 2009
DEFENDING CHAMP WEBSTER TOPS BASEBALL POLL

ST. LOUIS - Defending St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) regular season champion Webster University has been picked as the pre-season favorite in the 2009 SLIAC Baseball Coaches' Pre-Season Poll. The Gorloks, who posted a record of 31-15 overall and 21-3 in conference play last season, received seven first place votes.

Webster head coach Bill Kurich returns a veteran squad that includes senior, center fielder Alex Raetzloff, senior left fielder Andy Fuiten, and junior right fielder Dakota Huey. Fuiten was the 2008 SLIAC Player and Newcomer of the Year while leading the Gorloks with a .438 batting average. He also set school records for home runs (12), walks (38) and RBIs (54). Raetzloff was a First Team All-SLIAC selection last year and also earned All-Central Region honors as well as ABCA Third Team All-America honors. He set school records in 2008 for hits (72), runs (65) and at-bats (176), and led Webster in doubles (21), triples (5) and total bases (136). Huey was a Second Team All-SLIAC selection in 2008. He hit .355 at the plate with 14 doubles, three home runs, two triples and 37 RBI.

Maryville (20-19, 15-9 SLIAC) received one first place vote in the poll and ranked second overall. The Saints return three-time All-SLIAC honoree and second baseman, Bill Allerdissen. He led Maryville last season with a .389 batting average and a team-high 58 hits and 13 doubles. Other leading returners for the Saints include seniors Chad Henkelman and Scott Murfin. Henkelman, a center fielder, is a two-time SLIAC honoree and hit .352 last season with nine double, four triples, two home runs and 27 RBI. Murfin is Maryville's ace on the mound and posted a 5-2 overall record last season with a 3.27 ERA in 52.1 innings of work. He also recorded 39 strikeouts and had one shutout.

Westminster College was picked third in the poll and also received one first place vote. The Blue Jays were 23-13 overall last season and 16-8 in conference play. Eureka College rounded out the top four in the poll. The Red Devils went 16-18 overall and 13-10 in conference play, just missing the cut for the 2008 SLIAC Tournament in fifth place.

[#1PantherFan]

New poster here. Just discovered this board yesterday and thought I would answer a few of the Greenville College questions on here.
The worst news is of course Stefan Neece is out for the year. Had Tommy John surgery between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I believe he does plan to come back for his fourth year in 2010.
Justin Litteken has transferred to SIU-E for academic reasons. No engineering courses to speak of at GC. Went to GC to take his core classes and gave us two great years on the ballfield, tying the career mark for saves. He does not plan on playing ball for the Cougars.
For reasons that are his only, Zac Atkins is back at GC for his senior year. In the absence of Neece we are pleased to have his bat back with us. They would have made an awesome 1-2 punch this year. In 05 he hit .368-.411-.410 and was honorable mention for All-Conference. In 06 he hit .396-.481-.522 and was named 2nd team All-Conference. As far as saying "he couldn't cut it at Webster", he did start half the games in 07 for them and hit a very respectable .321. Welcome back Zac!
Concerning theoneandonly's list of top outfielders, don't overlook GC's Bryan Hobbie who hit .302-.359-.462 with 10 SB's and a .986 fielding pct. He is clearly the best all-around athlete on the team (played one year of basketball for GC), and possibly in the conference. He has excellent speed and comes from a good gene pool. His grandfather had an eight year MLB career with the Cubs and Cardinals, and his father spent a year in the Detroit organization.

[theoneandonly]

2009 Pre-Season SLIAC Poll is released..............

2009 SLIAC Baseball
Pre-Season Coaches' Poll

Rank Team (First Place Votes)
1 Webster (7)
2 Maryville (1)
3 Westminster (1)
4 Eureka
5 Fontbonne
6 Greenville
7 Blackburn
8 Principia
9 MacMurray

Here are my question marks on this poll. No suprises with 1 and 2 but, i do feel like they should be flip flopped. Maryville 1 and Webster 2. Those were a given. Lets get started on 3-9.

3. Westminster season last year 23-13  and 16-8 in conference doesnt prove to me they should be 3rd. They dont have the depth for pitching and like it was stated a while back their outfielders arent the best at reading the ball off the bat. I would put them at 5th.

4 Eureka. Honestly? Do you really think they have made that many improvements to go from 6 or 7th to preseason 4th? I do not.

5. Fontbonne should be at 3 or 4. They have a very solid catcher and a decent pitching staff. their recruits never hurt them either.

6. Greenville lost their only power hitter in neece. Although they did regain Atkins, I honestly dont think he will be a big enough piece to help them even get 6th.

7. Blackburn in all reality, they didnt have a horrible conference year, just not a usual one. i earlier in the year had them in my own rankings as a pretty low seed. But ihave gotten a chance to watch them practice as well as a couple of other schools (GC and Fontbonne) and they look like they are going to compete. I would put them at 4

8. Principia, This is pretty close to the most accurate bit of information other than the 1 and 2. I hate doing it every year but Prin to me is 8 or 9. Since they only allow christian Scientist they have to work with what they have, and cant really go out and recruit. They have pulled in a couple of new freshmen that wont be bad, and Raffles is back for his senior year and he is quite a hitter.

9. Mac, Yeah mac has had some rough years, however i would also put them at 8 or 9.  since they have gotten a quick outfielder from DACC this season i wouldnt count them out. i think they can have some strong showings and possibly post up to a 6th place finish. Any higher than that though isint very likely.

ANYWAY there are my descrpencies with this poll. that is all.